Places to visit in Cat Tien National Park

1. Bau Sau – The kingdom of alligators in Cat Tien National Park

Bau Sau is the name of the crocodile lake located in the south of the park. It is the largest wetland in Cat Tien National Park with the maximum size is 2,500 hectares in the rainy season and it is only 100-150 hectares large in the dry season.

Read more about Dong Nai, Vietnam: https://journeyonair.com/dong-nai-vietnam

It is home to some of the regions most fascinating wildlife, including the Siamese crocodile. This species was hunted till local extinct but now they are increasing in numbers at this lake. Besides alligators, Bau Sau has a high concentration of plants and animals listed in the Red List of Vietnam and the world. The lake is also an important water source and grazing land for big mammals as samba deer and the highly endangered gaur.

You can choose whether come back in day or stay overnight. As we mentioned above, if you wish to stay overnight, you can see the animals at dusk and early morning, when they are most active. If not, the beautiful sceneries of the lake are still worthy to visit, as many birdwatchers walk the whole way to Bau Sau because this land has a large number of endemic birds

You should book advance ticket if you want to stay over. The limit of people to stay over is 5 so an advance ticket is the best way to ensure you that you have the chance. The price for sleepover is VND 340,000

If you return in day, the price is VND 200,000/person.

2. Bau Chim – The bird kingdom of Cat Tien National Park

From the Ecotourism center, you will have 20 minutes driving to the starting point of the tour. This tour is only about 1 kilometer long with a high tower so you will have a sweeping view over a large area around.

Read more: Things to do in Cat Tien National Park

As the habitat of more than 350 species of birds, Cat Tien National Park is a unique location for birdwatchers to experience Vietnam’s’ abundant diversity of birdlife. Bar-bellied Pitta, Orange-necked partridge and Germain’s peacock pheasant are the most prominent species.

The tour guide is very experienced that they can lead you to the unique bird spotting location: the tropical evergreen, the deciduous forest or the bamboo forest.

To participate in, you must book advance ticket due to the situation of lacking guides

Price: VND 400,000/person in 4 hours

3. Dao Tien Island – The primate rescue center in Cat Tien National Park

Located on a fairy island which is just a short boat trip from the Ecotourism center, Dao Tien Endangered Primate Species Rescues Center is specialized in rescue, rehabilitation and release the endangered and critically endangered apes in the south of Vietnam. Most of the primates in this center are seized from the illegal wildlife trades.

Visiting this center will teach you many things about the hard condition of primate species, the work of saving and preparing for them a better life in the wild.

The tour starts at 8:00 and will end at 14:00

Price: VND 300,000 for adult and VND 100,000 for under 15-year-old child

4. Ben Cu Rapid – The plant tour of Cat Tien National Park

The way to Ben Cu Rapid from the Ecotourism center is about 20 minutes walking. This is one of the most beautiful routes with many big tree, diverse plants and plenty of interesting animals. If you moving quietly and plus a little luck, you might see a lot of birds, colorful insects or even the large mammals like macaque monkeys, yellow-cheeked gibbons and black shanked langurs.

Read more: Weather & Best time to travel to Cat Tien National Park

In the past, Ben Cu Rapid is the gathering place of food, medicine and necessities of Vietnam military during the war. This was also the first headquarter of Cat Tien National Park’s ranger in 1978

Go further from Ben Cu Rapid, there are several botanical trails near the bank of Dong Nai River. Heaven Rapid is an example with beautiful riverside scenery and dense wilderness.

Ben Cu Rapid is an ideal camping place. Wish you would have good times with family and friends.

5. Cat Tien Bear Rescue Center – The moon and sun of Cat Tien National Park

Why there are moon and sun of Cat Tien National Park in the Bear Rescue Center? Because in this center, they care for 2 beautiful bear species, which is the Asiatic Black Bear (also known as Moon Bear) and the smaller Malayan Sun Bear. Those creatures were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade or bile bear farms, where they had to live in terrible condition, poor diet, painful and life-threatening bile extraction processes.

Because of once living like that, they are now can’t survive in the wild. Therefore, this center was built to ensure they have a happy and enriched life with a good and healthy diet and a semi-wild environment.

Besides the bears, you may also meet other primates as they were the victim of illegal wildlife trade, too.

The Bear Rescue Center is opposite the Ecotourism center. The tour starts at 10:00 by the bear keepers

Price: VND 150,000 for adult and VND 50,000 for under-15-year-old child